President Obama cobbled together a new coalition of special interests that he was able to win a 2nd term with. Minorities, single women, gays, union members, government employees, etc., helped put him over the top.

The Irish American coalition used to have great sway in the Democrat party. But some high profile Irish Americans weren't even invited to a traditional St Patricks special event dinner in Obamas 1st term.

If Irish Americans had clout in the Democrat Party, the Sandy devastation in the Rockaway's would have been dealt with swiftly and surely.

Democrat luminaries were falling all over themselves for photo ops right after the storm. Wearing hard hats and making promises to the cameras, they scored big in the PR dept.

But today, months after the storm, many residents still have no homes to move into and no power for their homes, if they still have one standing.

These neighborhoods are slowly being relegated to back page status in the media and when that happens, it is as if the problem isn't there anymore. But it is there.

Federal aid has been slow. Democrats blame the Republicans for holding up an appropriations bill. But Republicans say the reason for the delay is that the bill put forth by Harry Reid and the Democrats, was loaded with billions in pork that had nothing to do with Sandy relief

If Democrats were serious about protecting and aiding their constituency, they wouldn't have played political games. Evidently they felt, after the media storm died down, they could relegate Sandy to politics and special interests without fear of media or political blowback.

When Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, the din from the media was ear splitting. News teams were on the ground at all times. The damaged city was kept front and center throughout the entire Bush term, as billions upon billions were poured on the city and its residents.

But this disaster in New York is different. The leader in the White house is a Democrat and so are most of those officeholders in this damaged area.

President Bush was blamed incessantly for acting slowly to respond to the disaster that hurricane Katrina caused. But the truth was ineptness by Mayor Nagin and Governor Blanco, both Democrats that caused the lack of preparedness and response to Katrina.

Mayor Nagins "chocolate city" as he referred to it, was showered with billions in federal tax dollars to show the media and the rest of America we cared.

Indicted mayor of New Orleans

The media microscope was kept focused on New Orleans recovery efforts and any delay in aid was headline news. Charges of racism were raised by civil rights leaders for any perceived lack of aid, real or imagined.

As a side note Mayor Nagin is facing criminal corruption charges for misappropriating federal funds destined for the repair of his city. Did you read that in the headline news?

But President Obama & Democrat leaders are held to a different standard. New York's Rockaway's are still a disaster area and federal feet are dragging. The quiet desperation of American citizens needing aid from their government is being ignored in the media.

Irish Americans should take note of the shabby treatment they are getting from the very politicians they help put in office and also see what it is like to be relegated to old news by the lap dog media.

Ed's columns have been linked to or appeared in various publications such as WSJ, NY Daily News, NY Post, Washington Times, Des Moines Register, USA Today, India Times, AMAC, and many other publications throughout the USA and world. Ed is often a guest on radio stations in Europe and the USA and is a guest on Fox News.